Memoirs of Leslie Thomas
by V Shape Otaku
Summary: A background write-up for my Ventrue character, Les Thomas.  How he started in 19th century rural England and rose to Princedom over LA. Over time I intend to go over his entire lifetime, but each posting should be able to manage as a stand-alone piece.
1. The Embrace

Even by modern standards, my mortal life had been near-perfect. I had my wife, Lenore, and two healthy children. I had my own business, my own home had a small handful or servants, and I lived quite comfortably, especially considering that my father was a simple fisherman.

Of course, I suppose my great success was what brought the attention to me that I received. I had just attracted a new merchant and secured a contract for my boats to ship his goods to other ports. The new contract meant that I could expand my shipping venture to another city, buy more boats, hire more people.

I returned home late that evening from celebrating, to see a strange man standing in the road outside of my home. I smiled and greeted him, still joyous over my own success.

His eyes slowly made their way over me, examining me, looking for flaws. Something about him seemed, off, odd, eerie. Finally, he tipped his hat to me and inquired, "Would you be Mr. Leslie Thomas?"

I nodded.

"Good, I have a proposition for you, sir." He then took a few steps back, gesturing to me that he wished to take a walk to discuss his proposition. He held a hand out and introduced himself as Charles Spenser.

I dismounted my horse and passed it to my wife, quietly letting her know that I'd be in shortly.

That night, I did not return.

* * *

I followed the man, who then began recounting the success and history of my business, complimenting me often for my ingenuity and hard work. He led me into the inn at the edge of town, several blocks away from my home. He turned an explained that he'd prefer to discuss the proposition in the privacy of his room.

I waved at the innkeeper as I followed on. She was cousin to my wife, so I figured that if he were up to any form of mischief, she'd have intercepted.

He opened the door to his room and closed it after wed both stepped in. The last thing I remembered was feeling his hand on my shoulder.

When I next woke, I was being pulled away from a woman. She appeared to have been murdered, and recently. There was blood on my hands. I stepped back, in horror, and then was able to see the man sitting in the corner of the room. A smug grin crossed his lips as he set down a sharpened piece of wood on a nightstand. "Come to your senses, have you?"

Horrified, I held my hands up. "What have I done?"

He chuckled as he brought me to the wash room that was attached. I looked to the mirror and only saw his reflection. I reached out to the glass, hoping that there was some trick involved, but to no avail. My fingers left a bloody smear on the glass, but they did not reflect.

Charles heaved a sigh and muttered, "I suppose that does happen Come now, clean yourself up."

As I washed my face and hands, he explained to me that he had changed me. He had spent a great deal of time studying me and my successes. He told me that I had been selected and embraced into 'Clan Ventrue' and that I should be honored. He explained to me that I would now survive by feeding from 'Kine', which he then explained was the term used to refer to humans. I was now 'Kindred', or in more common terms, vampire.

The reason that my reflection did not appear, Charles explained, was that when I changed from Kine to Kindred, other things about me changed. I was now capable of healing at an accelerated rate, focusing myself to a greater than human strength, and even completely resisting some injuries. I would also be able to learn how to manipulate the emotions of others and even bend their will completely. However, these new abilities also came with drawbacks. The Ventrue clan, explained, was afflicted with the curse of being very selective in their 'feeding' habits. There was a wide array of similar afflictions, such as the one that I seemed to inherit, casting no reflection. He had no better explanation than We all have things we learn to live with.

He led me out of the inn, to a carriage he had waiting for us. As we traveled, he explained to me the rules of the vampiric society that I would be expected to follow. He explained that I was to never again see my family. If I did, I risked breaking the first and most important rule, '_Kine must not know of us, for we shall uphold the Masquerade_'.

He then listed the other commandments of the Kindred, known as the traditions. _'Respect another kindreds domain, and expect him to respect yours.'_ For now, he told me, I would be restricted to his domain, or his territory.

_'Do not proliferate the kindred as do rabbits and other lower creatures. To embrace, one must have the permission of ones elder.'_ Which translated to tell me that I was not allowed to make another of our kind without his permission.

_'I am responsible for your actions, as you are my childe. I am to glory for your success and bear the cross of your failures. Do **not** fail me, childe.'_ Since he made me, he had to account for my actions until he determined that I was ready for independence.

_'If you travel into anothers territory, it is not only polite, but expected that you present yourself unto them.' _ A reiteration of a previous rule, I assumed.

_'It is as with your mortal laws: murder of your own race is forbidden. To take the life of another Kindred without the proper consent is to forfeit your own right to existence.'_ Kill and be killed, got it.

I felt myself growing more tired by the moment. The carriage finally stopped. He led me out of the carriage and into a house, then down to a cellar. The pull of drowsiness was beginning to overcome me. Charles opened a casket and gestured for me to get in. Any other time, I think I may have argued, but I felt as though I could lose consciousness at any moment. Surely enough, as soon as I lay in the casket, I did.

* * *

In the next evening and the months that followed, Charles taught me what it was to be Kindred. I longed for my family and mourned my mortal life. I dared make mention once of my desires.

"You are no longer mortal, childe. Do not be ignorant." Charles took a long look at me, trying to read my reaction. "And if you ever do try to go back, know that Ill leave you out for the morning sun."

I collected myself and apologized for the error. I continued on in my study of the 'Dominate' discipline. Before me I had one of Charles's slaves, her mind long since gone from the repeated uses of the discipline. I pitied the poor thing, she had her life, her personality, and her mind all taken from her without her consent. Just because she was someone that Charles had taken a fancy to. He bought her specifically to be his house pet to feed from and to serve him. She fidgeted slightly as she sat in the wicker chair in front of me. I wondered how much of her own life and memories were still left in her head.

I concentrated my focus back onto her. "Rose, tell me, what do you recall of your life before this place?'

She paused and began to repeat what shed been told to answer. "I was born here. I work for Master Spenser. I live comfortably and should be honored to serve Master Spenser. He is a great man, that Master Spenser."

Frustration began to work its way into my muscles. I knew that was what shed been told. "Rose," I spoke more sternly this time, my patience waning, "you had a life before this place, you were purchased. Where did you come from?"

For a few moments, I could see the real Rose, a woman with her own heart, body, and soul. "I was taken from my mammy. She didn't want me to go, but Master Coleman needed the money. They put me up on the auction block they did, many miles from here. I didn't cost too much for Master Spenser, but thats cause he scared the others away from buying me up. When he walked up to me, I-"

I hadn't noticed Charles standing behind me, until the smooth baritone of his voice boomed within the room, "That's enough, Rose! Silence that tongue or Ill cut it from you."

She closed her mouth before sound had finished coming out.

Good, now go up to your room and sleep the rest of the evening. I expect when I wake for there not to be a speck of dust anywhere within these walls. She stood, turned, and left the room.

Charles moved to stand in front of me, glaring down all the while. I could tell that he was reigning in his anger as he concentrated on the floor for a few moments. Finally, his expression softened, and he turned his gaze to me. "I am impressed, childe. But again, remember that you are no longer mortal. Mortals are **not** your equal. They are tools for us to use, just as the cattle are their food and the mules are their tools."

I apologized, showed to him my submission, and asked to work on learning another subject.

* * *

Nearly a year had passed when he decided that he was able to present me to other Kindred. We traveled south, to London, and I was presented to the Prince. No, not the English royalty, but the head of the Camarilla in London. The evening was a blur of presentations, introductions, and discussion of the goings-on of the mortal society. Apparently the colonies in far-away India were beginning to rebel. The Kindred mingled and discussed the potential impact that this could have on Britain, and generally seemed to behave as I would expect high society to behave. They were concerned about their investments and whether they might lose a percentage of their profit margin, but they didn't seem to even balk at the idea that the colonials might be brutally murdered by the locals, who likely outnumbered them. They concerned themselves not with how the locals weren't interested in being ruled, just that it was terribly rude of them to rebel against the British Empire.

I had moved myself to the edge of the room, doing my best to stay out from under the radar of the other Kindred. The shallowness; the pettiness; the selfishness of it all astounded me.

As much must have been present on my expression, as I was soon approached by one of the other Kindred. He'd been one of over a dozen introduced to me in rapid-fire, so I had to concentrate to recall his name. "Lord Vasquez, being a foreigner, tell me, what is your opinion of the mortal world today? Has it changed so drastically from when you were as young as myself?"

Vasquez hesitated and amusement crept over his expression. "Please, call me Esteban."

I nodded and then corrected myself, "Esteban."

He chuckled. "You're not quite what I expected Charles Spenser's childer to be. Of course, I suppose I could be interpreting your frustrations incorrectly."

I clenched my jaw. Already I was speaking out of turn and becoming a disappointment to Spenser. "I apologize, Esteban, you misunderstand me."

"Hardly, childe. You sit in a room full of Kindred acting as though they've never made a mistake or have any flaws. There are so many lies flying through the air, I suspect if they took form they could lift the whole building." He spoke softly, doing as well as he could to not draw attention.

I took that moment to study him. For a man with a Spanish name, he seemed fairly fluent in the English language, and even appeared to have fairer, more English or Germanic features.

"I'm not certain what your sire has taught to you, but do realize that the Kindred around you are indeed monsters. They are as wolves that walk among the sheep, except that most of them have deluded themselves into thinking that they too, are sheep. Just special ones."

So engrossed in listening to Esteban was I, that I did not notice my sire approach. He stood behind me and addressed Esteban coldly, "And you, Lord Vasquez, would be the black sheep among us. I'll not have you poisoning the mind of my childe here, lest he be as much a disappointment to his sire as I'm certain you are to your own."

Without another word, we left. I regretted leaving, as I felt I had much to discuss with this other kindred, but I also knew better than to cross my sire at this time.

* * *

How right I was to realize my sires anger. The entire trip back, he explained to me just what a black mark on Kindred society that Esteban was. He went on to theorize that the other kindred was a part of the Anarch movement and that he may not even be of the Ventrue clan to which he claimed heritage of. I was then explained the Anarch movement, which I was led to understand would have the kindred break any and all tradition established by the Camarilla and in turn would lead to the extinction of Kindred society in any form.

I hoped that his complaints of this other kindred would be the extent of my punishment for having dared converse with him. When we arrived to the Spenser estate, I greeted Rose as I entered. Charles stopped immediately, as though suddenly frozen, causing me to hesitate by a matter of curiosity.

"I have not been strict enough with you, childe. You _still_ think of her as equal." He stared at his servant for a few moments and then nodded. "Childe, I order that you kill this woman. Do not drink her blood, kill her with your own hands. Make certain that she knows that you are her superior and far more powerful than she."

I shifted my gaze between Rose and Charles several times. I could hardly believe what he'd just told me to do.

"You will learn to do as I tell you, childe. Do not hesitate, do not question, as I am your elder."

Again, I hesitated. This was wrong. I would not kill this woman for no reason.

"If you do not do as I say, I shall tie you to a post to await the morning sun."

I reached for Rose's neck, concentrating my blood to increase my strength. I would simply break her neck, and give her a quick, clean death.

"No childe, tell her, make her fear." He began pacing, watching with the same intensity he had as he taught me each of the disciplines.

I felt sick. I was unaware that I could still feel the sensation, but there was a sense of dread at the pit of my stomach as I carried out my sires orders. It seemed as though something else, something cruel and evil took over me as I explained to the poor slave woman what was to happen to her. I felt my control slip and I could feel my hands rending through her. I heard her cries for mercy and her begging and yet I continued.

I realized the full weight of the monstrosity that I had become.

* * *

A few weeks later, I rose to see my sire waiting for me, a smug look over his face. I lowered my eyes and waited for his orders, his threats, or whatever it was that I was about to be ambushed with.

"Childe, for so long you mourned for your family, you wished to have them with you. I have a gift for you." I was instantly wary. He was too smug, too sure of himself. What had he done?

He led me up from the cellar and to the quarters at the edge of the estate, where Rose had slept. He opened the door to the small building-the wood structure was not much larger than a modern tool shed-and surely enough, there slept my wife and children. I turned to my sire. "Why?"

"Disobey me, and I shall kill them in front of you. After you destroyed Rose, you needed someone to practice your abilities on. The next level you need to learn involves changing the memories of the subject. You shall make your wife and children forget that you disappeared, and instead, convince them that you were killed. Get creative with the details, but do remember to maintain the Masquerade."

I wanted so bad to simply pick Lenore up and hold her in my arms. I wanted to tell the children that I was sorry for being gone. However, I knew that if I showed such a weakness, that my sire, the monster he was, would either kill them or force me to do so myself.

"Very well, then." I stepped into the room and gently lifted Lenore from where she lay. She stirred, but did not wake.

"Childe, tell me, what do you plan to do?" He watched me closely, hoping to find the motive of my actions.

I managed to maintain a perfect facade, replying, "I cannot work in here, it may wake the children. I'll simply have her relay information to them, the less I do, the less chance that there is for inconsistency."

Satisfied, he stepped aside and returned to his house, presumably to his office. I carried Lenore to the courtyard and set her in the white wicker chair that Rose had sat in so many times before. As I maneuvered her into the seat, she woke. She stared at me for a few moments, then finally she reached out and touched my face. I could see the conflict in her emotions, ranging between disbelief, fear, and joy.

I sat in my own chair, directly across from hers. I leveled my gaze with her, intent on making things easier for her, at the very least. I collected my thoughts and began planning what I was going to tell her.

My thoughts, however, were interrupted. "Les, is that you? Are you really alive? My God, where have you been?"

"Lenore, I-"

She leapt from her chair and wrapped her arms around me. Instinctively, I held her, comforting her as she sobbed onto my shoulder. She began recounting all of the hardship that she had endured. She told me that a man, closely matching my sire's description, bought the venture from her for a pittance. I stroked her hair, soothing her. I rested my head on her shoulder. "I am sorry, my love. You shouldn't have had to-"

The sickening wet sound of metal rending flesh stopped me mid-sentence. I looked up to see my sire standing in front of me, a bloodied knife in his hand. Lenore collapsed in my arms, choking on the blood that began to fill her lungs. A short few moments later, she stopped moving altogether.

"Mr. Thomas, I cannot abide that you continue to disappoint." Charles looked at me, giving me the same cold stare that he always gave when he was disappointed.

I was no longer going to be treated like a small child. I set Lenore's corpse to the ground and glared up at my sire. My fangs were down; I was ready for a fight. I focused my blood to strengthen my muscles as I grabbed the wooden chair that I had been sitting in. All of my rage and strength went into swinging that chair at Spenser.

He dodged; the chair shattered. Spenser grabbed one of the pieces of the chair and drove it into my chest.

My world stopped. I could see him walk away, I could hear him, but I could not move. I heard him walk back; he had brought the children with him. I heard him order them to stay in place. I could feel him move me as he propped me up into the wicker chair.

He spent the next few hours torturing and finally killing my children in front of me, while I was helpless to act against him.

_This sick bastard,_ I thought, _I would much rather perish than to spend eternity serving him._

Then, as sure as he had threatened countless times, he took me to a post in the courtyard, bound me to it in such a way that I could not gain the leverage to move, and removed the wooden stake from my chest. As soon as I was able, I cursed at him and told him what it was that I thought of him. There was nothing more to lose, I figured.

He laughed.

I could feel the Beast within me rail against my self control. Again, Charles seemed to find amusement in my rage and despair. "You know, Les, you would have been an excellent childer. You could have been great. However, having the compassion for Kine that you have is simply not an option. Many times I told you to set that aside. Many times I warned you against it."

My rage subsided. My wife, my son, my daughter, and Rose all had to pay for my indiscretions. It was my fault they all died. _If I had cast aside my sentiments _No. I would not allow him to win.

* * *

Dawn was to come within the hour. Charles seemed content to spend the rest of the evening hours berating me. I noticed that the ground around him seemed to darken, as though the shadows had all gathered at his feet. I could have sworn that it was my imagination as tendrils of shadow rose from the ground and wrapped around him. I could see the panic in his eyes as they touched him. They continued to rise, in spite of his struggles, and wrapped him, as though in an inky cocoon. I watched as they constricted tighter and tighter, then finally all but a very few vanished.

I saw a man walk out of the shadows from the edge of my field of vision. After a few moments, I recognized him as the other kindred from London, Esteban. He approached me and, in a matter of moments, had released me from my bonds.

I watched as the shadows drug Charles Spenser to the post. Esteban gently pushed me to a side and began to prop my sire against the post. He glanced up at me and then set to securing my sire to the post. "Les Thomas, correct?"

I nodded dumbly.

"And this, your sire, Charles Spenser, he did kill those three mortals, correct? As a matter of punishing or tormenting you?"

Again, I nodded.

"And he planned to leave you on this post for the sun?"

"Yes, he was to tie me to a post to await the morning sun, as I had failed him." The words had sprung from my lips before I realized what I was saying. I shifted my attention to the easternmost horizon.

Esteban tightened more rope of Charles. My sire began to wake. He had recovered from whatever damage he had sustained from the shadow tendrils. Esteban quickly flung a burlap sack over Spenser's head. He then turned his attention to me once more. "And you will not miss him?"

I spared a quick glance over the estate, the corpses of my entire mortal family, and then to the kindred that was my sire. I shook my head. As I began to walk into the house, Charles Spenser called out to me.

"Les, will you not help your own sire? Instead you would abide the actions of a LaSombra? Les, I've told you of the evils of the Sabbat, and the LaSombra clan only associates with the Sabbat."

I spared a glance towards Esteban, who simply offered a smile. I would be careful, but I sensed no danger from this man. I turned back to my sire and replied, "Ill take my chances."

"You ungracious whelp! You will never amount to anything!" He seemed to be trying to break free of the rope and chain that held him, but to no avail.

I shrugged and turned away. I instructed the servants not to enter the courtyard. I would figure out what to do with the estate the next evening, when the sun was not moments away from rising.

* * *

Author's Note: Just reposted as someone pointed out that the last 1/3 of my story stuck together in one paragraph. The next section is about halfway done.

Thank you for reading!


	2. The Beast

Solitude . Isolation. Loneliness. The prospect of having eternal life and spending it completely and utterly alone is enough to drive one mad. I lost my entire mortal family and allowed that my sire be put to final death. He had been a cruel and terrible creature, but I still felt the lack of his presence.  
Esteban Vasquez, the kindred who had liberated me from my sire, left the night after my sire met the sun. He helped me bury my family and assisted with informing the servants on the property that I had purchased it from Charles Spenser. He then wished me luck and was on his way.

* * *

The next few months seemed to drag as I continued my focus on mastering the disciplines inherent to my clan. I found that the resistance to physical trauma, Fortitude, was the most frustrating to learn of all. I could concentrate on the emotions of others or their will for my Presence and Dominate abilities. With the resilience, however, I had to rely on my body to react naturally.

The only way to test if the ability worked was to hurt myself. The act of testing this was not only foolish, but often led me to the point of hunger. One of these times, knowing that I had all too recently fed on the servants at the house, I ventured to the village that was a few miles away from Spenser's estate. There, I settled myself into the pub and began looking for someone who fit my tastes.

Through trial and error after my embrace, I learned that I could only bring myself to feed on attractive blond women, such as my wife had been. Charles had told me that the exclusions that I held in my feeding habits was part of the curse of the Ventrue clan, but I often wondered if it was more connected to the devotion I still felt for my late wife, Lenore.

Finally, I settled on a young woman sitting by herself on the other side of the room. She had been staring at me, hardly ladylike behavior. I reminded myself that this was necessity and approached her. I smiled as I addressed her, doing my best to project my charm. "Miss, what is it that a lovely young lady is doing here at this late hour? Should you not be at home?"

She blushed, the rose color of blood radiating over her porcelain cheeks made her much more attractive to my hungers. She finally shifted her eyes down and away from me, she was playing bashful now. I was getting the notion that she was more the a little interested in me. _Good_, I thought, _I don't have the patience for pussy-footing around tonight_.

She seemed to study her drink for a moment before she finally spoke, "I traveled here to visit my uncle, perhaps you could lead me to his home, sir?"

I agreed, intending to leave her in an alley where one of the townsfolk could find her and then assist her. She followed me out and began to explain that her uncle lived outside of the village and that he owned a farm a few miles away. After a short amount of time, I realized that she was alluding to the late Charles Spenser. I decided that I would lead her to the estate, feed, and then alter her recollection of the entire event once done.

As we approached the estate, she stopped and stared at me once more. "Sir, tell me, how long did you think you could continue after destroying your own sire?"

My surprise was difficult to mask as I tried to understand where she would have obtained this information. I focused my gaze so that her eyes were locked with my own. **"Tell me**, what gave you that idea?"

She laughed. When she had finished her fit of laughter, a triumphant smirk made its way over her face. "You foolish childe, did you mistake me for Kine?"

I took a step back, remembering the lessons that my sire had taught me. _To take the life of another Kindred without the proper consent is to forfeit your own right to existence._ Though I did not dispatch him directly, I certainly did not take action to save him, either.

By that logic, I suppose that I might as well have done it myself. That still didn't answer-

"I can read your emotions and thoughts, childe. Even if I couldnt, the air of liberation is nigh tangible around you." She slowly moved her hand into her bag that she had been carrying. "Charles had been a dear friend of mine. It pains me to know of his passing. However, I can find some solace in avenging him."

She sprang from where she stood with a stake in hand. She had the advantage of surprise on me, as I was still processing that she could read my thoughts. The sharp pain of the stake pushing its way into my chest returned my mind to reality. Fortunately, she missed my heart, but that did not mean that the injury did not cost me. I pushed her away and removed the stake from between my ribs. Reflexively, my blood sought to heal the damage. Having failed at staking me, she withdrew a blade from her bag. Before I could react, she was on me again, trying to slice through my neck.

Try as I might, I could hold back the Beast within no longer. It broke free of its bonds and retaliated. In spite of her speed and fluidity of motion, she had flinched at just the wrong moment. I caught hold of her by her arms and drew her closer to me. The Beast was continuing with my original plan, feeding. She struggled violently at first. I could feel the rush, the high of taking her blood. For a moment, I relented to the Beast and I relished in the ecstasy of consuming kindred vitae.

All too soon, the feeling had ended. Sated, the Beast withdrew, leaving me with a rapidly decomposing corpse. She fell apart in my hands, finally degrading to dust.

I felt an overwhelming dread form at the pit of my stomach. I realized that she would not likely be the last to come to visit Spenser, and surely someone would come looking for her. I absently gathered her belongings from the roadside and headed home. I made my way into the office that Spenser used and there I began looking through the woman's bag. She had two more stakes, a longblade, and a change of clothes. As I set the clothes on the battered oak desk, a letter fell to the floor.

The letter was penned by Charles Spenser and was dated just a few nights prior to his passing. In the letter, he divulged that he was concerned that his child was growing ill, just as the others before had. He requested that his favored niece come to visit him in his time of mourning.

I stared at the letter for a few more moments before I crumpled the paper in rage. He had put me through all of that hardship and he had planned to kill me afterward. He was even looking to a companion for pity. Furthermore, she knew of his intentions and still held me accountable for what had transpired. A part of me triumphed and felt that she got what she deserved.

At the deepest part of my soul, however, I still felt that it was all wrong.

* * *

More weeks passed, and I found myself falling into a habit of walking the perimeter of the estate at least twice per night. On one of these nights, I found one of the servants following me. It occurred to me that he was most likely just trying to verify that I was safe in my late night wanderings, but I found myself enraged nonetheless. When I turned and rushed to him, I ran more quickly than what is normal for a mortal.

He fell backwards in surprise when I was so suddenly in front of him. I lifted him by his shirt collar and held him a few inches above the ground. "What are you doing?"

I could feel him shudder in response. He quickly found his words, though the sound of his voice reflected his fear. "I w-w-was just trying t-t-to make certain you were s-safe, sir."

My inner Beast stirred with rage, _it _was insulted. _It _sneered at the idea of a mere mortal thinking that he could protect _it_. Before I realized, _it _had taken over.

My fangs had dropped and I threw the man several feet back. I was upon him again almost before he had landed. I could see my hands and feet beating him and kicking him, yet I was powerless to stop. I feared what I had become.

Moments felt as an eternity until my fists stopped swinging. It felt like icy cold hands had grabbed each of my wrists and were pulling me back. Instinctually, the Beast tried to flee. When it was unable to actually run away, _it _relinquished control. By the time I collected my senses, I saw Esteban standing over the poor frightened man that I had attacked. He was dominating the man to think that he had been attack by bandits on his way home from hunting. As the man walked away in a trance, Esteban turned to me. "Mr. Thomas, I truly expected more of you."

A dozen retorts and excuses made their way through my thoughts and each one I realized was not enough to explain. I had done wrong and there was no reason aside from my own failing. I hung my head and awaited what I was certain would come next.

After a few quiet moments, I could not bear the suspense that I was held captive to. "You've come to finish me, have you not? For my crimes?"

Esteban chuckled and I felt the tendrils release their grip on me. I, not expecting him to release me, fell to the ground.

"And what form of barbarism would you think I practice? You clearly feel remorse for your misdeeds. Perhaps I should have considered how young you yet were."

I looked up to study his face and gain a better comprehension of his intentions. He smiled and extended a hand to help me to my feet. I took his hand and allowed him to pull me up. "Why?"

He took a moment to study me, then to make certain that my poor servant was gone. "I do not believe that you would like to follow in your sires footsteps, would you?"

I shook my head. "I mean why did you come back?"

He hesitated, seeming to search for the same answer himself. He began leading me back to the estate before I finally received an answer. "I returned because I was told long ago that I would be given an opportunity. I nearly missed it before. I do not intend to miss it entirely."

When he noted my befuddled expression, he continued, "It's something that Ill explain more later. Tell me, how have you been, Mr. Thomas?"

As we continued, I recounted the events of the past months since I had last met with the elder Kindred. He did his best not to react, but when I explained how I had consumed my visitor, he was clearly shocked. That certainly is a hefty crime, Les. It is a weight that shall hold over your soul for some time.

I nodded in agreement; I had felt that very weight after the pleasure of having devoured that woman faded. I opened the front door and led him into the study. I was content with reading by the moonlight, but Esteban motioned to light one of the candles in the room. I passed him the matchbox and allowed him to light the candles. I drew back, the candle seemed to illuminate the room far brighter than I had previously experienced.

Esteban took note of my reaction, concentrated, and the room grew darker, which was much more comfortable for me. "Has it been that way since you consumed the other Kindred?"

I concentrated for a moment and then nodded.

"I've been told that sometimes when you perform such an act, that the sin takes literal form. He who commits to Amaranth will have a stain upon his very soul, which may be detected by others..." Esteban hesitated, seeming to omit _something_, though what it was, I could not discern. "Perhaps this sensitivity is what my sire had spoke of then."

I settled in a darker corner of the room and handed the letter that I had found in my victims belongings. As he took the letter, I remembered the other change that I had noticed. "I also can move faster now, if I choose."

Esteban said nothing, choosing instead to focus on the letter. He seemed to be less shocked than I had been to read its contents. "Yes, I long suspected that Spenser was up to something along these lines. This is precisely why I began monitoring your estate after wed met. You were the third of his childer that I'd met in the past few decades."

I was surprised, and then again, not. The letter, the very specific way he would instruct me, and the way very few Kindred would pay me much mind at the gathering he took me to, it all added up. I suddenly felt very weary.

"Leave with me, Les."

I looked up to Esteban, trying to understand his motives. He simply smiled. Leave the estate behind, take whatever gold you have, and start up a business venture elsewhere.

He was right, I needed to move on. "But where..?"

"America, I hear, should be an interesting place to visit right now. I've heard they've begun a war against themselves. By the time we get there, it should all be over."

I shrugged and glanced out the window. Before long, the sun would rise. "Tomorrow then?"

Esteban nodded and then we headed to the cellar to retire for the day.

* * *

The next evening, I rose to find Esteban was already up. I ventured up from the cellar and found that he was outside, in the courtyard. Standing with him was a young couple, a blond woman in her mid-twenties, and a blond man who was likely a few years older than she. Esteban introduced them as Arthur and Kristal Riechter. "These are my associates, they guard my carriage during the day."

I then began the process of gathering the handful of my belongings that I wished to take with me. We would first head to London, then book passage to New York.

* * *

A.N. Short, yes, but the next section will probably feel more like a true short story, and this in-between-er would likely feel out of place any way except for stopping here.


End file.
